EDDIE MOFFAT (1925-2024)

By Michael White – Club Historian

When the death of former Chair Eddie Moffat was reported on November 28^th, tributes poured in from older Falkirk fans and players alike. The word that was shared by all those who responded was “gentleman”, and Eddie was certainly that. He had almost made it to his 100th birthday and his family, and many friends, could look back on a life of considerable achievement.

Eddie left school at the age of fourteen to start an apprenticeship wit Smith and Wellstood as a sheet metal worker just before the outbreak of war. He saw service during the conflict as a telegraphist and an air gunner with the Fleet Air Arm. The humblest of men, Eddie never spoke of these harrowing experiences, but they must have been traumatic. In 1963, he founded a business with his brother Reid which was to become a market leader in the production of catering equipment and gained an international reputation leading to several prestigious awards from his peers. He was variously described as “inspirational,” “outstanding” and “innovative” and was one of the first to engage in what was then referred to as “Green Thinking.”

Eddie’s main passion was always football and his beloved Falkirk Bairns. As a boy he had collected an impressive amount of memorabilia and was a regular attender at Brockville. He often recalled the great days watching the Tully Craig side with the likes of Bob Shankly, Kenny Dawson, and Bobby Keyes. It was no surprise when his success in business made him an obvious candidate to become a director of the club. The Board of the time was made up of local businesspeople and Eddie found himself part of a team that were all diehard Falkirk supporters. Barry Scott, James Johnston, James Allan, and Alistair McKenzie joined his life-long friends- Malcolm Allan and Gillies Sinclair. The combination of business acumen and enthusiastic support for their hometown club made for a powerful driving force which was needed at a challenging time for the club. The knowledge of the game was impressive, and few fans realised the work being done behind the scenes to keep the club going. The halcyon days of the 1957 cup win were long gone and the team struggled to get back to the topflight. Supporters were losing faith and attendances dwindled. Eddie became Chair in November 1982 at a tough time when the club seemed to have lost its way. There was no instant cure, but slowly and steadily Eddie and his colleagues managed to get the club back on track and won promotion to the Premier League in 1986. Falkirk were not really equipped for long-term survival at this level and their personal financial contribution was often not appreciated by sections of the support.

In February 1990 Eddie stood down as chair and the club was sold to a consortium including George and Hamish Deans and Wilson Young. Falkirk was no longer being run by Falkirk supporters and as they say, the rest is history. Eddie remained a regular attender at games, sharing pain, disappointment, and success alike. In retirement, he was seen with Gillies Sinclair and Malcolm Allan at games and sharing a trip to local cafes. They called themselves The Last of the Summer Wine and were a formidable source of knowledge and experience of football – and life. Just which one was Compo, which Clegg and which Foggy, we will never know but it is fun to hazard a guess.

The passing of Eddie Moffat saw the last link to another chapter in the club’s history, when local business people, who were all committed supporters ran the club, and invested financially through the good times and the all-too-often troubled times. The tributes to Eddie came in from all over and many players respected him greatly. Former captain Brian Brown summed it all up when he said, “Eddie was always supportive of me personally, and that will never be forgotten.”

To all who knew Eddie on a personal level, he certainly will never be forgotten – a gentle man and a gentleman.